Belt tightening and loosening driving connection



Oct. 7, 1941. H. HEINEKE BELT TIGHTENING AND LOOSENING DRIVINGCONNECTION Filed March 1, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Oct. 7, 1941. H. HEINEKE 2,257,795

BELT TIGHTENING AND LOOSENING DRIVING CONNECTION Filed March 1, 1941 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Oct. 7,

BELT TIGHTENING AND LOOSENING DRIVING CONNECTION Henry L. Heineke,Springfield, 111.

Application March 1, 1941, Serial No. 381,366

3 Claims.

The present invention pertains to improved and novel means to controland govern the operation of power-actuated lawn-mowers, whereby to causethe internal-combustion engine with which the mower is fitted to rotatethe carryingwheels and the blade-shaft and its cuttingblades or toterminate such driving action, the device in its preferred formconstituting a new style and type of belt tightening and looseningmechanism.

To enable those acquainted with this art to fully understand theinvention, from both structural and functional standpoints, in theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this speciiication and to whichreference should be had, a present preferred embodiment of the inventionhas been illustrated in detail, and, for simpllcity, like referencenumerals have been used to designate the same mechanical partsthroughout the several views, and from such an understanding it will beclear that the new character of driving-connection is simple instructure, is eflicient and effective in service,- is easily operated,is of relatively low cost, and is unlikely to become damaged or injuredin ordinary service.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a lawnmower incorporating thefeatures of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows in detail the handle-operated means for rendering thenovel driving-connection operative and inoperative;

Figure 3 illustrates in' end-elevation the pivoted bearing for theintermediate-shaft of the mower;

Figure 4 is a plan view showing such intermediate-shaft and the detailsof the driving-connection; and

Figure 5 is an elevation of the right-hand end of the structure depictedin Figure 4.

Referring to these drawings, it will be noted 49 that, as is shown inFigures 1, 3, 4 and 5, the power-operated lawn-mower includes a platformll mounted on carrying-wheels I2, I2 (Figure 1), and a blade-shaft onwhich the cuttingblades l3 are carried, such shaft through asprocket-wheel M, a sprocket-chain l5 and a sprocket-wheel It; beingconnected to an intermediate-shaft I! which, near the sprocket-wheel I6,is mounted for rotation in a bearing [8 supported at l9, IS on a fixedvertical pivot mounted in a yoke 2| carried on the platform, so that theshaft may rock substantially-horizontally around a. fixed axis or pivotat a right-angle to the axis of the shaft.

modated in a bearing 22 (shown somewhat broken off in Figure 4)constituting part of a housing 23 over a V-grooved pulley 24 fastened onthe shaft, 9. V-belt 25 passing around pulley 24 and a smallersimilarly-grooved pulley 26 on the shaft 27 of an internal-combustionengine 28 on the platform H.

Thus, by the means described, the engine may operate the mower throughpower rotation of the carrying-wheels in the usual way and of thecutting-blades, provided however, that the intermediate shaft [1 and itspulley 24 are maintained in their operative positions by meanshereinafter described,

Such means includes a flat block 3| bearing on platform II and pivotedthereto at 32 so that it may swing on the top surface of the platform inminor degree about its pivot in the general direction of the length oraxis of shaft H, the underside of such shiftable block having anelongated recess 33 of the shape depicted in dotted lines in Figure 4,one reduced end portion of such cavity accommodating a coiled-spring 34one end of which bears against the terminal wall of the recess.

The wall of the block above such recess is slotted at 35 in a directiontransverse to, or laterally of, shaft l1 and such slot has a bolt 36extended upwardly therethrough with its head 3'! in the recess andbearing against the other end of spring 34, the shank of the boltextending up through a hole in a flat projection or lip 38 outstandingfrom the side of and integral with housing 23 and bearing and slidableon the member 3|, the top protruding end of the bolt having a securingnut 39 supplemented by a locknut 40.

Another apertured ear 4| projecting from the housing is connected by arod 42 to a relativelysmall rock-handle 43 to which it is pivotally orhingedly connected at 44, such handle being rockingly mounted at 45 onthe main handle 46 of the lawn-mower.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that whenhandle43 is in itsreleased position, the parts are in the dotted-line positions shown inFigure 4, the spring 34 having forced them into, and maintaining themin, such locations, with the pulley 24 sufliciently close to itscompanion pulley 26 to slacken the belt 25 enough to render itinoperative'to turn shaft l1 and the members con- The opposite endportion of shaft I1 is accomnected therewith.

To tighten the belt and thus render the beltdriving connection operativeso that the engine will revolve both the carrying-wheels and thecutting-blades, the operator merely shifts handle 43 to cause theconnection 44 to pass slightly beyond dead-center (Figure 2) and theparts are then positively maintained in such operative re lation withthe belt tight on its pulleys until the operator voluntarily swings thehandle to release rod 42 and associated parts.

when the operator swings handle 43 to tighten the belt-drive, this isdone with ease and facility, and it will be understood that in makingeither movement of such handle to shift the intermediate-shaft toward orfrom its drive-shaft. the block or element 33 swings in slight degreeand the bolt 36 travels in the slot 35 as the housing and its associatedshaft are moved.

When the parts are in the positions indicated in Figure 4, the pulleysare held separated sufliciently to tauten the belt and when the drive isrendered inactive, the parts are maintained in such relation by thespring 34.

To be sure, when the belt is loosened as indicated, the pulley 24 is ata slight angle to its companion pulley 26, but this factor is of nomoment, it being understood that when the belt is tight and operativethe two pulleys are in the same plane and the two shafts i1 and 21 areparallel.

The various elements or members of the mechanism when in activecooperative association are shown in full lines in Figure 4 and when innondriving relation are illustrated in dotted lines, all as will bereadily perceived.

To those acquainted with this art, it will be appreciated that theinvention, as defined by the appended claims, is not necessarily limitedand restricted to the precise and exact details of structure and thatvarious modifications may be resorted to without departure from theheart and essence of the invention and without the loss or sacrifice ofany of its material benefits and advantages.

1 claim:

1. In a belt tightening and loosening drivingconnection having a firstsuitably-journalled rotary-shaft, a second rotary-shaft approximatelyparallel to said first shaft, a pair of bearings for said second shaft,a pulley on each shaft, and

a belt connecting said pulleys, the novel features being that one ofsaid bearings for said. second shaft has a fixed pivot the axis of whichis at a right-angle to the axis of such bearing to permit said secondshaft and its pulley to swing about the axis of said pivot toward andfrom said first shaft, in combination with a housing for saidsecond-shaft pulley incorporating said other bearing for said secondshaft, means mounting said housing and said bearing slidable toward andfrom said first shaft transversely of the latter, and means to manuallyshift said housing and its said bearing and through the latter saidsecond shaft and its pulley to operatively tighten and inoperativelyloosen said belt with relation to said pulleys.

2. The novel features set forth in claim 1 in I which saidmanually-operated means includes a block slotted and recessed in thegeneral direction transverse to said second shaft and pivoted to swingin the general direction of the length of said second shaft, a memberconnected to said housing occupying said ,slot and extending into saidrecess, a spring in said recess tending to press said member and secondshaft and its housing toward said first shaft, and means to releasablymaintain said manually-operated means in position to render said beltoperatively tight.

3. In a belt tightening and loosening drivingconnection having a firstsuitably-journaled rotary-shaft, a second rotary-shaft approximatelyparallel to said first shaft, 9. pair of bearings for said second shaft,a pulley on each shaft, and

a belt connecting said pulleys, the novel features being that one ofsaid bearings for said second shaft has a fixed pivot the axis of whichis at a right-angle to the axis of such bearing to permit said secondshaft and its pulley to swing about the axis of said pivot toward andfrom said first shaft, in combination with a mounting for said secondbearing for said second shaft for movement toward and from said firstshaft, and manually-operated means to swing said second shaft and itspulley toward and from said first shaft to operatively tighten andinoperatively loosen said belt with relation to said pulleys.

HENRY L. HEINEKE.

